UNCTAD: First Batch of Russian Fertilizer to Be Shipped to Africa in Early November

Although the "grain deal" was aimed at mitigating the food crisis in the poorest countries, most of the grain ended up being shipped to rich nations. For its part, Russia is doing everything possible to prevent a food crisis in African countries. In particular, Moscow sent 10.5Mln tons of grain at the end of October to Africa and Asia.

The first batch of fertilizers Russia is donating to Africa free of charge will be sent to the African continent in the first week of November, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan said.

“Concrete actions bring certain results, especially with regard to fertilizers that are currently stored in ports and warehouses of European ports. These fertilizers are provided free of charge by Uralchem for humanitarian needs in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America with the direct participation of the World Food program. We expect the first batch of fertilizers to go to Africa in the first week of November," Grynspan said at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

After Kiev's terrorist attack on ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian ships in the waters of Sevastopol on Saturday, Russia announced it was suspending its participation in exporting grain from Ukrainian ports.

According to the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense, the terrorist attack was planned with the assistance of British specialists.

Commenting on the decision, the Ministry stated that in the present situation Moscow cannot guarantee the safety of civilian dry cargo ships involved in the export of Ukrainian grain.

Later, the Russian Federation's Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev said that Russia was ready to supply the poorest countries with up to 500,000 tons of grain free of charge over the next four months, as well as to replace Ukrainian grain and to supply all interested countries at a reasonable price.

On Monday, The Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed Russia's willingness to compensate the poorest countries for their shortage in grain volumes, at its own expense.

The package grain deal consists of two documents signed on 22 July in Istanbul by representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations. The first memorandum considers the UN commitment to remove restrictions on Russian fertilizer and agricultural product exports to global markets. The second defines the algorithm for exporting Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports.

The first ship under the “grain deal” left the port of Odessa on 1 August. However, Russia almost immediately raised concerns about how the West and Ukraine were interpreting the agreements.

Initially, it was assumed that one of the main goals of this agreement was to prevent a food crisis in poorer states.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry drew attention to the fact that half of all deliveries arrived in the European Union, Great Britain, Israel and South Korea, whereas states in need - specifically Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, and Afghanistan - received only 3 percent of the grain.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that with the West behaving like that, the global food crisis would only worsen.

For its part, Russia has already shipped about 10.5Mln tons of grain, mainly wheat, to African and Asian countries in late October.

The deal was signed amid Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, that was launched on 24 February in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops.

In response, the West issued sanctions against Russia that affected, among other things, the export of Russian grain, and exacerbated the global food crisis.